They are a staple of the Christmas dinner - but there is bad news for Christmas pudding fans.

Festive foodies will be dismayed to learn the cost of their favourite dessert is set to skyrocket.

The cost of Christmas pudding ingredients has soared 21 per cent with festive foodstuffs set to climb further as demand rises in the weeks ahead.

The price of raisins, butter, flour and sugar has jumped since 2015, owing to a combination of factors including the collapse of the pound and weaker supplies, commodity data expert Mintec said.

Weaker sterling rates in the wake of the referendum have led to a 3 per cent rise in the price of raisins, which are imported to the UK, while a drop in milk production has sent butter prices up 92 per cent to their highest level in five years.

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Higher quality wheat crops have increased the cost of flour by 19 per cent, and low carry-over stocks from the 2015/16 season have nudged sugar prices up by 61 per cent.

But a forecast rise in California almond production has sent prices lower by 21 per cent, helping offset the climbing cost of the traditional Christmas dessert.

Artificial Christmas tree prices could rise, despite the relatively unchanged costs of PVC plastic, which is used for fake tree needles.

It is the rising cost of metal that could influence price tags, with steel prices soaring 46 per cent amid production cuts in China.

Meanwhile, Mintec's Christmas Dinner Index, which counts turkey, vegetables and pork, shows that the price of the main holiday meal has only risen 1 per cent year-on-year and is still lower than both 2013 and 2014.

Christmas Pudding with Brandy (or rum) butter

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Potato prices rose 52 per cent in the year to November, as bad weather hit yields and delayed planting and harvesting, while similar conditions have contributed to a 65 per cent per cent rise in onion prices.

Parsnips were up 14 per cent, but carrot prices are down year-on-year thanks to lower demand in Europe, where domestic supplies were higher.

Strong demand in China and worries about lower production in the UK have sent pork prices higher by 14 per cent year-on-year.